


What Big Eyes You Have

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe, BAMF Stiles, Christmas, Derek Hale as the Big Bad Wolf, Halloween, Hermit Derek Hale, Lonely Derek Hale, M/M, Red Riding Hood Elements, Sterek Bingo 2017, Stiles Stilinski as Little Red Riding Hood, Warning: Kate Argent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 05:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10984194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: There are no wolves in Beacon HillsStiles knows that isn't true, he knows because he was saved by one on Halloween night, he remembers every detail, every patch of midnight fur, the beauty of his crimson eyes, the way he stared through Stiles' soul... and as he tightens his cloak around himself, making his way through the woods, he can feel the eyes of the wolf, watching him... watchingoutfor himAnd my, what big eyes he has....





	What Big Eyes You Have

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually so happy with this one??? It was very spur of the moment and different from how I had originally planned it but I'm happy with it and that seems to be the right formula for fics I'm happy with- spur of the moment with absolutely zero pre-planning and deviating from any original plans

Ah Halloween, his favorite night of the year...

Except that tonight he didn't seem to be having an especially good night

He had already finished handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters a couple of hours ago and now he was at a bonfire party near the edge of the woods, behind the animal clinic his best freind worked at

Honestly, he didn't know why every single event had to be accompanied by your run-of-the-mill party, couldn't anything be UNIQUE anymore?

There were so many more traditional things to do on Halloween, why throw a bonfire party?

He actually sort of regretted coming here when he could have done something more Halloweenish... even if he wasn't quite sure what that would be

He just knew that he was standing here with a bunch of college kids- most of who he didn't know- regretting his life choices and nursing a bottle of coke wile everyone else was drunk off their heels and he was getting a little annoyed

They couldn't even have _food_ at this party!

He found himself wandering away from the main event, head tilted with curiosity as he stepped towards the edge of the woods

Would anyone even really miss him if he left?

He kind of doubted it...

He screwed the cap onto the bottle tightly and put it in his basket, still kind of annoyed that he had to make a makeshift costume

Because ofcourse they only made Little Red Riding Hood costumes for women and he had to buy a Huntsman costume and a red cloak to go over it- the basket had to be bought separately too

He knew it was alot just for one night but it was _his_ one night

The one night of the year that he really got to be himself- ironically- so when he decided to be Little Red Riding Hood this year... he didn't hold back

He should've thought to put some snacks in his basket though, at the absolute least...

He took a few steps further into the woods, heart pounding as twigs snapped underneath his feet

He knew it was probably a stupid idea to come wandering around out here alone- especially with no reason or direction- but he wanted to get away from the party and he was curious

He had always lived in a suburban neighborhood without much wooded area so he wanted to take the opportunity wile he could get one and do a little exploring

Well... that was half of it, atleast, but the rest...

He was drawn to the woods

He wasn't sure why, for what reason, but he was, and his intuition had never lead him astray before...

He heard a few twigs snap in the distance and became instantly more curious... and instantly more terrified

Swallowing tightly, he looked over his shoulder at the party roaring behind him, the gears turning in his head, before shifting his gaze out towards the dark, distant woods

He was at a crossroad, one where he could go back and remain totally unharmed (and completely bored)...

Or one where he could keep moving forward and satisfy his curiosity (though he may not come back in one peice)

He took a step forward, decision made, and steeled himself to keep going

As he moved, the light from the bonfire began to fade, and he promised himself that he wouldn't go too far, he wouldn't let it fade out completely or to the point that he could no longer see

He was curious, after all, but he didn't want to get killed

The problem, however, with dying light, was that it became progressively harder to see

Even though he was still fairly confident in his ability to see where he was going, the light was fading fast, and he was so concentrated on looking in front of him that he didn't bother looking down- that was his fatal flaw

He stepped on a vine, gasping as he lost his footing and went tumbling down a steep slope, his head banging hard against a tree trunk as he struggled to keep himself conscious

His eyes, blurry and straining from the lack of light, locked in front of him, and his heart nearly leapt into his throat as he caught the sight of an enormous black wolf standing in front of him- staring

Just.... staring..... with a pair of vibrant, almost blood-colored, crimson red eyes

It was the last thing he saw as he finally lost the battle to unconsciousness, passing out there in the middle of the woods, vulnerable and helpless in front of the wolf

 

~+~

 

"I'm telling you Scotty!!! It was a wolf!!"

"Stiles, how could you have seen a wolf? You were passed out and none of us saw one," Scott protested with a frown

"I'm telling you I was in the middle of the woods! I went out there to explore and fell down a hill!" Stiles protested as he ripped the hospital bracelet off of his wrist (With, admittedly, minor difficulty)

"But we found you against a tree just a few feet away from the bonfire, how did you get there if you were in the middle of the woods with a concussion?" Scott argued, frowning deeper- like he was concerned for Stiles' mental well-being

(And he probably was, to be honest, that was very Scott-like)

"And don't you think it was WEIRD that I supposedly hit my head on that tree, passed out concussed, and just stayed there propped up perfectly against a tree? Don't you think I would've slumped over at the very least?"

"Well.... you do have a point..." Scott considered slowly as they walked to the elevator

"But who would've put you there? Someone from the party?"

"No... I don't know who, but it wasn't someone from the party,"

"How do you know that?"

"Can you name ONE person other than me who wasn't drunk as a skunk and had the upper body strength to carry or drag me out of the woods? Or even would have noticed that I was GONE?"

Stiles took his freind's silence as an answer

"Exactly!!"

"So... who do you think did it then? Some hermit living out in the woods?"

"Maybe it was like that Goosebumps movie, Werewolf Of Fever Swamp," Stiles suggested

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't Stiles,"

"Why not? What proof do you have that it wasn't?"

"What proof do _you_ have that it _was_?"

Ok, so maybe that was a fair point....

"I'm just saying, there was something about this entire incident that just wasn't right," Stiles insisted, taking his car keys out of his pocket, only for Scott to reach over and snatch them mercilessly from him

"You're right about that atleast, something wasn't right, but I don't think it was anything as... outlandish as you think, I think you're just lucky that you didn't end up getting kidnapped or something,"

Stiles pouted at that, a rather annoyed look on his face

Sure Scott had something of a _point_ but he just didn't GET it

He clearly didn't understand that they were on the cusp of something awesome here!

"I'm just saying, who, or WHAT, ever helped me back to the bonfire... it wasn't someone we knew," Stiles insisted

"I kind of believe you," Scott replied as he unlocked the jeep and opened the driver's side door

"I just hope it wasn't someone who had ulterior motives,"

For what it was worth, Stiles hoped so too....

 

~+~

 

So he decided- because Stiles is _smart_ \- to go back into the woods

Though, this time he had atleast had the good sense to come out in the daytime

He also brought pepper spray, his cell phone, some water, and a few energy bars, all carried in the basket he had brought with him a few days ago

(It was for convenience)

(The red cloak, however, was just for aesthetic)

Stiles was prepared to be out here all day if he had to be but he was going to get some idea of what lived out here and who could have dragged him back up the hill

 

~+~

 

By the time the sun had started to set, Stiles had been through probably half of the woods and come up with exactly nothing

The most he had seen in terms of wildlife had just been squirrels and chipmunks, no sign of wolves and certainly no sign of people

Maybe it was just someone who had happened to be out there wandering around for Halloween like he was...

But then that didn't explain the wolf, and his father had spent three hours insisting that there were no wolves in California

(Stiles had spent those three hours repeatedly telling him that atleast one most certainly DID live in California and the sheriff had eventually given up on trying to convince his son otherwise)

But now...

Now Stiles was frustrated

He had been so SURE that he would come across something but... no, not a single thing

Now he was going home completely unsatisfied and wishing he had decided to just leave the mystery alone in the first place so he wouldn't be in such a sour mood

 

~+~

 

A week later, Stiles' car broke down

Wich was really par for the freaking course, because _ofcourse_ it would break down on the coldest day of the year thus far when he was miles away from home or even _town_

And ofcourse it was on a Tuesday evening, everyone he knew was either at school or at work, so it wasn't like he could just call up Scott or his dad for a ride

He was going to have to call AAA or worse, hire a tow service and take an Uber to the mechanic's

His wallet was already screaming for mercy just at the thought....

With a frustrated grunt, he pulled his phone out and glared at the lack of signal

With heavy reluctance, he got out of the car and pulled his cloak- wich he had actually started to wear in lieu of a heavy coat because it was still California and not _that_ cold in the winter- tighter around himself, putting the hood up to ward off the cold before shutting the door and starting to wander around the empty road, holding the phone up desperately for a signal and cursing under his breath when he failed to see any bars darken up

He heaved a loud, long sigh and started trekking towards the woods, phone still held up as he started to wander past the line of the road and into the trees

And then, the most incredible thing happened.... a bar lit up!!

Oh happy day he was on the right track!!!

He hurried through the woods, going deeper and deeper, desperately searching for another bar

But after five minutes of wandering around.....

Nothing

Not a single thing

With a frustrated, upset grunt, he turned around, eyes landing on a nearby tree as he heaved a long and loud sigh

He swallowed, holding onto the phone tightly and starting to climb up the trunk, reaching desperately for the mid-level branches in the hopes of getting up high enough to get some bars

After all, maybe that had been the key, not location- but altitude

He squealed and squawked, managing to atleast get about three branches up but... as he was hauling himself onto the fourth, he lost his grip and...

Well, in order to keep himself from going splat, his reflexes kicked in and he grabbed the branch with his other hand...

Dropping his phone in the process

That one thing seemed to go in slow motion as the color drained from his face, his heart sinking into his stomach and watching as the phone free fell lower and lower until a sharp, sickening, _**CRACK!**_ echoed through the forest

Stiles' bottom lip trembled, staring in horror at the corpse of his phone, before screaming in agony at the loss

**"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"**

"Is there a reason you're screaming?"

Stiles screamed in alarm, jumping and almost falling off of the branch as he stared down at the ground.... and at a guy

Not that Stiles could see him too well from up here but it was definitely a guy who looked vaguely like a lumberjack

"Oh my God thank God you're here! I need help!"

"What did you do? Get stuck up a tree?" the guy asked with a slightly amused tone to his voice

"What?! NO! My car broke down, I was trying to get a signal so I could call a mechanic or something!"

"Up a tree?" the stranger asked skeptically

"I thought it needed better altitude!"

"Can you get down?" the guy on the ground asked, stepping towards Stiles' phone and picking it up before wiping it off on his shirt

"Um.... yeah, yeah I think so,"

Stiles may have been bolstering just a little bit, because he was barely two branches down and already shaking like a leaf

"Do you need help?" the guy called, and the closer Stiles got to the bottom, the more he realized just how gorgeous the mysterious stranger was

It was doing all kinds of things to his body, none of wich were especially good for escaping life or death situations

He wimpered quietly, finally getting to the last branch before starting to shimmy off of it

"Here," the stranger said with a slight sigh, reaching up and gently taking hold of Stiles, pulling him a little bit closer so that he could help him get down

"Um... thanks," he said slowly

"Is my phone still alive?" he asked a beat later

The stranger- who was sporting jet black hair, a full beard, gorgeous green eyes with gold and hazel flecks, and soft looking tan skin stretched out over stack after stack of muscles- produced the phone from his pocket and handed it back to it's owner

The screen was noticeably cracked, but he could turn it on just fine and it didn't seem to actually be damaged...

But there were still no bars

"Ugghhhhh, why is this my luck!?" he screamed

The guy was quiet for a few seconds before crossing his arms over his chest, eyebrows raised

"Well, you did come into the woods for apparently no reason and then climbed up a tree to try to jog a cell phone signal...."

"That's hardly the point!"

The stranger heaved a sigh, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose

"Listen.... I'm willing to help you, if you want it... I have a phone you can use if you want, and ... I'm not a mechanic but I'm not bad with cars, if you want, I could take a look at it,"

"Really? Oh my God, you'd be a life-saver if you did that, seriously, I would owe you for the rest of my life,"

"You won't owe me anything, it isn't a big deal," the stranger replied with an easy shrug

Stiles doubted that- _highly_

"Where's your car dude? Did you see the jeep pulled onto the side of the road?"

"I didn't need my car," the stranger replied vaguely

"But... town is like... an hour's walk from here," Stiles argued slowly, taking a quick step forward as the stranger started to walk through the woods

"I don't live in town,"

Well that would explain it

"Wait... seriously? You like... do you live out here in the woods?"

"Is that a problem?"

Stiles paused, not sure how he should answer that

Because.... yeah, it really SHOULD be a problem

Stiles knew about Stranger Danger ok?

He knew not to trust strange people- especially strange guys you meet in the woods, and even more especially strange guys who you meet in the woods _who live in the woods and want to take you back to their murder shed_

But the only other choice was to head back to the road and start walking towards town, wich....

It was already starting to get dark out and town was an hour's walk easily

By the time Stiles reached a phone it would no doubt be too dark to see where he was going and that was probably just as dangerous as this was right?

"No," he finally decided, swallowing tightly and wishing that he had had the forethought to atleast bring his pepper spray with him

"I mean... it's fine, thank you for this, really,"

"Don't mention it," the stranger replied simply, leading Stiles deeper and deeper still into the woods

"So what's your name?" Stiles finally asked, heart rabbiting in his chest as he followed

"Derek,"

"Derek huh? That's cool, that's cool... I'm Stiles," he answered, holding his hand out to the larger man

Derek paused for a few moments, staring down at Stiles' outstretched hand before slowly taking it in his own

Stiles practically burned up from the touch, he wasn't entirely sure if that was because of Derek's immense body heat or also because he was so attracted to the near-stranger and nervous as all hell but when Derek touched him he nearly caught on fire

"Nice to meet you Stiles," Derek finally said, reluctantly letting go of Stiles' hand before getting back to leading Stiles through the woods

"So um... living in the woods huh? What made you decide to do that?"

He was met with a shrug, Derek seeming suddenly thoughtfull as he considered that question himself

"It's .... peacefull out here," he replied vaguely

"Peacefull?"

"Yeah... there are no cars, no screaming people, no ... activity.... just the animals and the forest,"

"I... yeah, I guess that's peacefull, but isn't it also _boring_?" Stiles pointed out

"No, I like it, it's nice,"

Stiles frowned slightly, eyebrows narrowed

He wanted to question the strange man further but he didn't get the chance, given that they had arrived at the cabin before he could ask another question

The cabin was gorgeous, honestly, it was big but not overly large, it seemed warm even from the outside, and it kind of made Stiles want to go inside and take a nap just from looking at it

"I hope you don't mind that I have a dog," Derek said suddenly, drawing Stiles out of his fantasy

"O-Oh um, no no I love dogs, actually,"

Derek's lips curved up slightly as he opened the cabin door, stepping aside just enough for Stiles to walk in before shutting it behind him

Stiles didn't understand the speed at first, before a huge Husky jumped up and ambushed Derek, nearly nocking the guy over as he hurried to coo and scratch the dog behind the ears

The Husky paused after only a moment before turning attention towards Stiles, perking up and moving forward

"Hermione- _no_ ,"

The dog pouted, sitting down at Stiles' feet and panting at him adoringly

 _"Hermione?"_ Stiles asked incredulously

Derek, however, just shrugged again, heading deeper into the house

And when Stiles took the moment to look around he found himself... amazed.....

The inside was just as cozy as it looked from the outside, warm and inviting and comfortable, with big- but simple- cozy furniture in the living room, a fireplace and a staircase leading up to a higher floor with some kind of balcony over head

The lights were all dim and warm and the decor had such a comfortable vibe to it- extremely simple and rustic...

Stiles definitely wanted to take a nap in here, as weird as that sounded

"The phone is over here," Derek said suddenly, jerking Stiles out of his daze as he nodded towards a basic landline sitting on the nightstand

It wasn't even _cordless_

"Oh... oh ok so by phone you meant.... _phone_..."

Derek glanced up at him, smirking in amusement and raising his eyebrows

"You didn't expect a landline I take it, how did you think I had cell service when you didn't?"

"I.... guess I wasn't really thinking that far," he admitted quietly, clearing his throat as he headed over to the phone

"I'm going to get my toolbox out of the garage, we'll go look at your car when you're done,"

"Ok," Stiles croaked almost nervously as he stared down at the phone

He wasn't even sure if he remembered his dad's number, embarrassingly enough, he had just kept it in his cell phone for so long at this point....

(And he hadn't even _noticed_ a garage)

Oh well.... atleast the number was there if he thought _really_ hard about it

Time to face the music and confess to his father that he had just done virtually everything he had learned not to do when he was five

 

~+~

 

"It looks like your engine is shot, it isn't something I can fix here,"

"Ofcourse not," Stiles huffed with a frustrated sigh, glaring at the jeep and wrinkling his nose

"Freaking peice of junk...."

"To be honest it'll probably be cheaper to just get a new car than to fix this kind of damage, I mean, the engine it's self won't run you too hard but this thing is so old that things will just keep breaking for the foreseeable future..."

"Yeah I know, but this thing has sentimental value you know? I can't get rid of it even if I'm running on one hubcap and fumes,"

"I understand," Derek nodded, a slight smile on his face as he raised out from under the hood and cleaned his hands off on a rag from his toolbox

"I... COULD potentially install a new engine for you, if you want, I'd just need to get the part and... I know a guy who owes me a favor, I could get it for you tommorrow,"

"Wow, really? Are you serious?"

Derek gave a slow nod, leaning against the car and shrugging

"I'm a decent mechanic, we'll have your car towed back to your driveway tonight and I'll get the work done tommorrow- well... provided my guy has an engine that'll fit your car, that is, it's pretty old,"

"Yeah yeah I know that but... how much is this going to cost me?"

Because surely Derek couldn't be offering if he wasn't going to be making a sizable profit right?

"Nothing, I don't mind doing it for free,"

Come again?

"Come again?"

"I said I don't mind fixing your car for free,"

"Why? What would you get out of it?" Stiles asked suspiciously, eyebrows narrowed and nose wrinkled

"Nothing, I just wanted to do something nice, but if you'd rather go to an actual mechanic-"

"No!! No no I'd... yeah no it's fine just... I just don't know why, that's all, I mean that's alot of work..."

"I don't mind it," Derek shrugged back simply

....

_Uh-huh_

"Until then you should come back to the cabin with me, call a tow truck, I'll make some hot chocolate for you if you want,"

It was a little early in the season but...

Stiles was never going to say no to hot chocolate

 

~+~

 

The hour Stiles spent with Derek waiting on the tow truck was, shockingly, one of the best he had had in a wile

Derek was surprisingly nice, despite his more ... rough... appearance

He made hot chocolate and cookies and Stiles played with the dog

It was so relaxing....

And Stiles found himself missing the calm- the _peace_ \- of it when he was back in town surrounded with all of the hustle and bustle of the city, the ringing of phones and the blare of news feeds and _ugh_

It was like having a buzz killed, and it was kind of weird...

The next morning when Derek came by with the engine- wich Stiles was thoroughly surprised he actually had managed to get so quickly- he relayed this information, you know, for research purposes

"I know, see now why I like living out there?" Derek smirked back at him

"Yeah ok but you have to admit that living in town has alot of conveniences,"

"I do, but they aren't conveniences that I necessarily need, I come into town two, maybe three times a week to run errands, take Hermione to the dog park, see a movie... but there's no reason to be so surrounded by it,"

"That's really cool... have you always lived out there?"

"Not at all, I've lived in the woods for... about three years, I lived in town with my family when I was a kid, up until I moved into the woods I was living in New York with my sister,"

"Oh really? New York... jeez, no wonder you wanted to get away from it all and live in the woods, my freind goes to school there and oh my _God_ I'd want to stab out my eyes just from what I _hear_ about it,"

"It isn't _that_ bad," Derek laughed, shaking his head as he propped up the hood

"Laura and I lived in an apartment but it was in the more suburban area, it wasn't like we lived in NYC,"

"Still though, rural New York has gotta be three times worse than urban Beacon County,"

"I can agree to that much," he grinned back

"So uh... you visit your family often? Do they still live in town or...?"

Derek went still and quiet all of a sudden, head hung and shoulders sagged, eyes downcast sadly

"They... aren't around anymore,"

That was more than a shock to the system, and Stiles could feel the blood chill in his veins

"They- ... none of them?"

Derek just shook his head, and Stiles suddenly felt mournfull for him

He understood loss- he understood losing a mother, given that he had lost his at a young age

But God... losing your entire _family_?

"What... what happened? I mean, if you don't want me to ask then I won't but-"

"It was a fire," Derek interrupted suddenly

"Most of my family ... died in a fire, my sister Laura was murdered when she came back to Beacon Hills to settle some old family legal issues a few years ago,"

God no wonder the guy lived in the woods cut off from civilization, not only was it peacefull out there but he was alone on top of it

With no family left- and assumingly no freinds, considering Derek's clear lack of social life- why _would_ he want to stay connected?

"Did they catch who did it?" Stiles asked with a slight frown

Derek swallowed, shaking his head slowly and rubbing his upper arm

And suddenly....

Suddenly Stiles was _hurting_ for this guy....

"I'm sorry," he said quietly

Derek just shrugged, clearing his throat

"I'm glad you liked it though, the- ... being out there, if you ever want to come back and relax, get away from the city.... just come by, if I'm out leave a note and I'll call you when I get back,"

Stiles nodded numbly and hopped down from where he had been sitting on the edge of the jeep, forcing a smile so that Derek wouldn't feel uncomfortable with the other man's sudden sympathy

"I'm gonna get some lemonade, you want some?"

"Lemonade in November?"

"Dude, it's California, you're out here working on my car, you've gotta be burning up out here,"

Derek's lips quirked up into an amused grin, staring up at Stiles and nodding slowly

"Lemonade sounds fantastic, thank you,"

Stiles took off, trying to set his mind to the task of getting lemonade and off of the fact that Derek- such a sweet, kind-hearted person- was suffering through so much pain

 

~+~

 

The first time Stiles took Derek up on his offer was only a few days after he had fixed the jeep

Stiles was having a bad day, trying to juggle all kinds of crap all at once

The proofs of Stiles' new books were in at the publisher's, and after setting up a meeting much earlier than what Stiles was usually willing to take he finally managed to get across town to see the publisher...

And the proofs were wrong

After that he ended up sitting an hour in traffic, he had to go to the bakery to pick up a birthday cake for his freind's party the next day and they were closed because they closed earlier than all hell

And then, as if all of that wasn't bad enough, he ended up bombarded with emails about political news that honestly made him want to throw up

Stiles was never someone who could do well with listening to problems he couldn't fix...

He ended up at Derek's by late afternoon, trekked through the woods and got lost twice, before finally finding the cabin and rapping eagerly on the door

Sure enough, Derek poked his head out a moment later, perking slightly and opening the door wider for Stiles

"Hey um... I'm not bothering you am I?"

Derek's lips turned up a little bit more, stepping aside to let him in

"Never, come on in,"

 

~+~

 

Stiles had had one of the best times of his life- or at the very least, of recent memory- with Derek that day

It was so peacefull out in the woods, so relaxing that it practically drained the stress away from the rotten day he had been having until then

And the best part was that it was _inspiring_ to be out there

It was the best inspiration he had had in YEARS

The woods were so full of tiny details that peaked Stiles' curiosity and had his mind spinning

Every leaf, every cloud, every line in the dirt...

It was inspiring and there was actually enough peace and quiet to _concentrate_ without it feeling too quiet and too sterile

It was absolute PARADISE for any kind of artist and Stiles was just thoroughly glad that he had brought some of his tools with him since he had seen his publisher earlier

He spent hours sketching, coloring, writing... he wasn't much of a photographer but he even took some photos

And then, ofcourse, there was Derek

Derek who was so nice to be around, who was calm and teasing and just a completely relaxing pressence...

Stiles was never more sad than he was when he finally decided it was time to go home

But luckily, that was just the first time of many

In fact, Stiles found himself in the woods with Derek as often as possible, his visits escalating from a few times a week to practically every day, and Derek didn't really seem to mind

And the more he found out about Derek, the more he allowed Derek to find out about _him_ , the more smitten he became

This was no longer a case of just needing a place to relax, he was starting to really fall for Derek, but what if Derek didn't feel the same way?

Could Stiles really be honest about this without ruining the amazing relationship they were already building?

He decided to put those feelings on the backburner for the time being, he had a more important subject matter at hand

After a few weeks, Derek had finally let his last name slip and when Stiles looked him up...

He felt _sick_

Derek's family hadn't just died in a _fire_ , they had died in an _arson_

Locked in the basement wile the house burned down around them, and his sister hadn't just been murdered- as if that wasn't bad enough as it was- she had been utterly _mutilated_

Being the son of the sheriff, Stiles had never been one who got emotional about crime scenes or gore or anything of that sort, in fact, half of what he wrote were horror stories, so he had a pretty strong constitution

But _this_....

This left him nearly in tears

 

~+~

 

"I want you to re-investigate the Hale case,"

Slowly, the sheriff looked up from his lunch, eyebrows raised questioningly at his son

"Come again?"

"Derek Hale's family? Most of them burned to death in a fire a little under ten years ago and then his sister was butchered?"

"I'm familiar with the Hales Son, I just don't know why you want me to crack open a cold case when I'm busy enough as it is,"

"Because there's a psycho out there who mutilated this poor guy's family and nothing has been done about it!! Dad how can you sleep at night knowing that they're still out there?!"

"Because I'm exhausted from trying to catch all of the other criminals who are out there? Stiles I appreciate the passion but that case went cold for a reason, you can't expect a lead to pop up just because you want it to,"

"But Dad-!"

"Stiles, listen to me, and listen well- No one on this force is more upset about the Hale case than I am, alright? I knew Talia Hale, she was a good woman, and every couple of years I look over the files again and try to see if I missed anything, I keep my eyes and ears peeled wide open for any lead- any HINT of a lead- that might come up, but so far.... nothing,"

Stiles deflated miserably, he knew cases weren't solved just because people wanted them to be- if anything, that was the worst way to solve a case, it made people sloppy and hair-triggered- but ...

He wanted so badly to give Derek the closure he deserved....

"Alright Dad, thanks anyway,"

His father just gave a solemn nod, looking back down at the papperwork on his desk as Stiles slipped away

If the police couldn't find any leads.... maybe Stiles could

 

~+~

 

"So you don't have a SINGLE social media page? Nothing at _all_?"

"That's what 'off the grid' means," Derek teased as he set a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and sat down on the couch next to his new freind

"But why are you off the grid? I mean I get if you don't want to be plugged in but don't you atleast want a Twitter or something?"

"Why would I? What's the point when it holds nothing for me?"

"Tell me you atleast have an email,"

"Email I have but only because I opened it when I was a teenager, I check it every couple of months but that's it, if I hadn't started an account back then I doubt I would have it at all,"

Stiles' first instinct was to think of this as an incredibly sad little tidbit of information, but there was a part of him who actually applauded Derek for it

How many times had Stiles ended up in tears because of something that happened on Facebook or Twitter?

How often did he end up fighting with people over the internet?

Hell that was why he kept his social media down to a minimum to begin with.... maybe Derek had the right idea here....

"Besides the obvious, I just don't want to be... _connected_ that way, I don't want people knowing where I am and what I'm doing every moment of every day, and if you do then certainly the more power to you but... I just want my privacy, I have no interest in being hunted down by telemarketers or scam companies who draw my name out of a digital hat either, wich is one reason I'm not in the phone book,"

"Don't you ever get tired of being alone though?"

Stiles regretted it the moment he asked it, Derek's features turning dark- sad, _miserable_....

"I'm not alone," he argued

"I have Hermione.... and you,"

Stiles wanted to argue that a dog and a kid you met in the woods who comes by every couple of days to eat your food and watch your TV didn't really count as not being alone but he figured he had done enough damage as it was

"Yeah," he finally decided, tossing half of the giant throw blanket he was curled up under towards Derek and leaning a little bit closer to him before pressing "Play" on the DVD player

"You have us Big Guy,"

 

~+~

 

It turns out that finding out information about someone without a social media account was harder than it sounded

He ended up having to go _really_ old school with the investigation and just... ask people around town

Over the next couple of weeks he learned that Derek was a basketball star when he was a teenager, that they went to the same highschool, that Derek had once had a thing for the cellist- who also ended up dead and broke Stiles' heart just a little bit more

He had learned all kinds of things about Derek Hale and not a lick of it seemed to be very helpfull.... that is, until a few weeks before Christmas when he happened to ask a clerk at one of the local stores at the mall about him

"Oh sure I remember, that poor boy... he's been through so much you know?"

"Yeah.... do you remember the last time you saw him?"

"I do, he was buying a Christmas gift for his girlfreind, just like you are,"

Actually the perfume Stiles was buying was a gift for a _platonic_ freind but he wasn't in the mood to correct her at the moment- he was more concerned with getting the same story about Derek told to him for nine billionth time in weeks

"You mean the cellist?"

"Oh no no, this was after her, right before that fire... he came in with her this one time, I distinctly remember it because she was so much older than he was... blonde, wore alot of leather, I remember thinking that he must have been with a babysitter or an older relative but..."

"But it was... a romantic relationship? You're sure?"

"Oh I'm positive,"

"What was the woman's name? Do you remember?"

"Oh now... let's see... I don't remember the first name but I think the last was something like uh... Armani... or... Ardette.... or uh..."

"Argent?"

"Yes that's right! It was Argent!"

"Thanks Mrs. Peterson, you've been loads of help," Stiles said sincerely, grabbing the bag from the counter and smiling as he took off with it in hand

Now he had a lead- FINALLY!

And even better than that, it was a lead he could follow....

 

~+~

 

"Christmas plans? No... not really," Derek said with a small shrug as he took a bite of his chicken

"Would you like to have some?"

The older man stopped suddenly, a look of shock on his face as he stared across the table at Stiles

And the expression he wore- so surprised and... hopefull and timid...- it just broke Stiles' heart

"Really?"

"Really, I mean, it's always pretty small anyway with it just being my dad and I so..."

"I'd love to," Derek said with a shy smile

"Then it's settled," Stiles nodded back

Christmas was just a couple of weeks away now, and Stiles was looking more forward to it than he had in years

He had already started looking into gifts for Derek, he just had to make a decision- and preferably soon given he was on a tight schedule

But nothing to worry about, he'd handle it soon enough

 

~+~

 

Stiles shivered, pulling his cloak tighter around him as he walked

He was trying to get to Derek's before the rain started, having brought a basket of goodies with him- homemade spaghetti and meatballs and homemade chocolate cake

He had wanted to test the new cake recipe out on Derek for weeks now and had finally gotten around to making it that afternoon so he wasn't going to let the threat of rain stop him

The evening was unusually cold though, even with the expectation of rain

It almost felt.... sinister, like the air was chilled from something alot more concerning than just water...

But he knew that was crazy, he was just being paranoid now

That didn't stop him from walking a little bit faster though, hugging his basket closer and taking a shaking breath as he sped up

Derek's cabin wasn't far now, in fact he could see the smoke from the chimney in the distance, just a few more turns and he'd be there in no time

"Well well well.... if it isn't Little Red Riding Hood,"

Stiles didn't recognize the voice, but he recognized the venom in it, and it made the acid rise higher in his stomach, his blood turning to ice and his skin breaking out into a freezing cold sweat as he slowly turned around and stared at the woman standing behind him

She was blonde, dressed in leather, and wore the most sadistic, sickening grin on her face...

 _Kate Argent_....

"It's a good thing I found you when I did, you were walking right into the Big Bad Wolf's den,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he spat

"I'm talking about your little freind Derek Hale, or do you not know?"

"Know what!?"

The grin on her face only widened, a dark, twisted joy filling up her eyes as she took a sauntering step closer to him

"Oh this is rich... you really thought he was just some innocent, normal person like you and me? Boy do I have a story for you.... it's such a good thing the hunter found you when she did Little Red, before that nasty wolf gobbled you up,"

Stiles had no idea what she was talking about, but she was getting too close for comfort

He had been investigating her the last few days in association with the Hale fire, and not one single thing he found out about Kate Argent had been anything remotely good

He swallowed tightly as she advanced, one hand in his basket as his heart pounded relentlessly in his chest

"Why don't you lead me there? We can go together, and I'll protect you from that Big Bad Wolf,"

As quickly as he could, he wipped his pepper spray out from the basket and slammed down on the trigger, listening to her scream and roar in agony as the spray hit her eyes

"Actually, I've always kinda liked the wolf," he huffed back, dropping the can to the ground and racing towards the cabin as fast as he could

He was terrified, he didn't know what the hell was wrong with that woman but it was clearer to him than ever that she was the one responsible for murdering Derek's family, and if Stiles didn't hurry, he'd be next

"DEREK!!!" he screamed, slamming his fist against the door as hard as he could

"Derek open the door!!!"

The door swung open, a startled looking Derek in the door way as Stiles pushed past him and hurried to slam the door behind them

"Stiles? What-"

"Psycho in the woods!" he shouted, dropping his basket to the floor and hurrying to lock and bolt the door shut, trembling as he took a few steps back

"What!?"

"Kate... Kate Argent, she cornered me in the woods, started going off about some kind of ... I don't know what! I sprayed her with pepper spray and ran but.... we've gotta call my dad, call the police!"

"The police can't do anything Stiles," Derek replied grimly

"What the hell do you mean they can't do anything?! They're the police!!"

"Stiles, did Kate actually _do_ anything to you? Hurt you? Touch you? Threaten you?"

"N-No...."

"So, from the law's perspective, you pepper-sprayed someone for no good reason and tried to have her arrested?"

Stiles' stomach sank, eyes welling up with tears

So that was why the cops hadn't caught Kate yet...

She was obviously a master manipulator if Stiles hadn't realized that sooner

She must have made sure to not only leave no shred of evidence, but to practically gaslight Derek in the process of it all...

Derek knew who did this all along but he couldn't do anything about it because there was no evidence....

"What do we do?" Stiles breathed, sinking down against the back of the couch and swallowing tightly

"What the hell are we going to do?"

Because Kate really didn't seem like the type to just give up

Derek pursed his lips, going quiet for a few moments

"I"ll take care of it," he replied vaguely, picking up the basket of food and carrying it into the kitchen

Stiles didn't know what the hell he meant by that, wondering in the back of his mind if Derek had a gun around here or something that he planned to use

He didn't seem like the type but considering what happened to his family...

Stiles sure as hell wouldn't blame him if he was

In the mean time Stiles just tried to keep calm, squeezing his eyes shut and letting his forehead fall against his nees and taking a deep, shaking breath

God what had he gotten into?

He had just been trying to help but instead he had drawn attention to himself and lead Kate right to Derek, like he was leading a wolf to a sacrificial lamb....

That was probably why Derek wanted to be off the grid so badly, not just because he liked his privacy- though, knowing Derek's personality, that probably DID have something to do with it- but because he was trying to stay away from Kate...

Stiles felt sick to his stomach

He felt like he had just unleashed a monster from beneath Derek's bed...

**BANG!!!**

Stiles screamed, jumping to his feet as the sound of a gun firing went off

But it wasn't just any gun- it was a heavy duty buckshot, and Stiles was staring right through a hole in the door

A hole where the lock had been...

Another shot took care of the deadbolt, and Stiles immediately started looking around for anything he could use as a weapon

The woman kicked the door in, cocking the gun as she stepped into the cabin and looked around

"Alright.... where the hell are you?" she muttered to herself

Stiles wasn't sure if she was talking about him or Derek, but he decided to go ahead and take the plunge himself- it was the least he could do

"Right here!" he shouted, suddenly jumping out from behind her and smashing one of the lamps over Kate's head just like he saw in the movies

She stumbled, screaming out in agony, but she didn't go down

_Uh-oh_

"YOU...!!!"' she growled, grabbing her rifle and aiming it towards him, though she was clearly unsteady on her feet

And then, from out of nowhere, a black blur pounced and nocked her to the ground

Initially Stiles thought it was Hermione- who was barking up a storm from the kitchen where Derek had apparently locked her up- but then he remembered...

Hermione wasn't black, she was grey and white

This dog-....

This dog wasn't a dog, it was a _wolf_

He watched the wolf and the woman tangle for a few moments and then a sickening snap as blood started trickling down onto the floor

Stiles backed up against the couch, watching, transfixed, as the wolf stepped aside, Kate's neck bitten open and bleeding, head nocked against the end table, as the wolf backed up

He slowly shifted his gaze from the woman to the wolf, and found himself staring into a pair of crimson red eyes....

The same red eyes he had seen over a month ago....

"Holy crap..." he breathed

But that wasn't even the most shocking part about it

A soft, white glow started to emit from the wolf, and before Stiles knew it, he was staring not at a wolf, but at a man

_"Derek!?"_

Derek took a deep breath, agony clearly painted across his face as he stared at the man in front of him

"I'm sorry," he breathed

"I'm sorry.... I know you must... hate me now but-"

Stiles didn't give him the chance to finish that sentence, launching forward and hugging him as tightly as he could, arms around him, squeezing like a boa constrictor as he let out a relieved breath and clung to him

"I'm so glad you're ok," he breathed

Derek seemed.... stunned, utterly gobsmacked by the response, but slowly, he wrapped his arms around Stiles too

They stayed like that for a few long moments before Stiles reached out and very gently lifted Derek's face, not caring that he was getting blood on his hands in the process

"Listen to me, ok? I could never, EVER hate you.... ever,"

Derek looked at him like that was the first time he had ever heard those words, and to his credit... it probably was

"I could NEVER hate you, I... I love you too much for that,"

The werewolf's eyes- now back to their usual green- widened a little, but he seemed... content with it, starting to smile as he leaned closer and gently pressed his lips against the human's

"I love you too..."

 

~+~

 

**Six months later....**

"You know, as much as I used to love summer, I'm seriously having a winter itch that needs to be scratched

"Oh is that so?" Derek asked teasingly

"It is TOTALLY so, I miss having the fireplace on,"

"We're upstairs, why does it matter?"

"Well you know, when we ARE downstairs," Stiles argued

Derek gave a snort, shaking his head and pressing his forehead against his boyfreind's

"You're ridiculous,"

"I'm just saying..."

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the fireplace, just give it a few more months," he insisted, nuzzling against Stiles' throat

The other man keened quietly, eyes drooping sleepily as he stretched out next to his partner, Derek's arms curled protectively around him as he started dropping a few feathery kisses down his back

"Ready for round two Big Guy?" Stiles purred

"Maybe I just want to cuddle with you, is that so bad?"

"No, but I think there's something else happening here,"

"You think?" the Alpha wolf asked dryly

"I think so, I bet if you asked any member of the pack they'd agree with me too,"

"Well the pack isn't here right now- thank God for small miracles,"

"I do LOVE rainy nights, keeps the other wolves away," Stiles smirked, rolling in Derek's arms so that they were face to face

"All except for this one," Derek teased, letting his eyes flash red

Stiles' eyes flashed golden yellow back, a fanged grin making it's way across his features as he tugged the other closer

"Well I don't exactly count, I _live_ here.... hey, you know what?"

"What?"

Stiles' grin widened, eyes sparkling with mischeif

"I should wear the cloak for round two,"

" _Absolutely not,_ that thing is down to the threads as it is,"

"So buy me another one Big Bad,"

Derek snorted, rolling Stiles on top of him and leaning up to give him a kiss

"I was planning on it- but we're still not wrecking the old one, it's sentimental, and THIS one is going to be an actual cloak, not a freaking costume,"

"So picky.... is it not enough that I LITERALLY lived out the Red Riding Hood fantasy for you?"

"As I recall, that's always been YOUR fantasy,"

"And look at that," Stiles smirked, leaning down closer and giving Derek a kiss of his own

"It came true,"


End file.
